Tunnel at Rocheport on Katy Trail

Just when my loyal readers were thinking I had put away the keyboard, I am back with renewed strength! I trust there are some loyal readers out there? Over the past month, I have had much to occupy my free time and unfortunately, writing did not seem to be at the top of my to-do-list. Plenty of inspiration has flowed over me but finding the time and attitude to sit down and type was escaping me. Most recently I have found that sitting down on a bicycle has given me the most thrill and adventure. In honor of the current Tour of Missouri cycling event and Lance Armstrong's recent announcement of his intention to race in the 2009 Tour de France, here is my cycling legacy.

Let me give you my version of a quick cycling lesson. First, the bicycle seat is no longer referred to as a seat it is a saddle. When I first started researching new bikes on the internet, this word "saddle" kept coming up. Now I come from a farming background, which included horses, 4-H, and horsemanship so I am having difficulty getting past this word. Anyway, I also remember bike sizes being measured as 20", 24" 26", etc. If you should go bike shopping at somewhere other than big chain stores, you will find bikes are now sized in small, medium, large, and extra large. Finally, I can fit into a size small, what a confidence booster this is!

Earlier this summer, my husband and I began cycling. We started out slow; our first ride was about eight to ten miles. First, let me clarify that I was riding a bike that was about two sizes two big for me and we live about 1.4 miles from the city limits up and down three very challenging hills. Basically, here is a middle-aged, overweight woman who has not been on a bike for any length of time since grade school and we STARTED with ten miles! I absolutely loved riding the bike with my husband and son. Since that inaugural launch June 21, we have ridden over 125 miles and I now can muster the strength to climb all three hills without walking my bike up them. WOOHOO!

After several miles of pedaling, I got a new bicycle sized for me and the cycling addiction switched into high gear. Never have I experienced a sense of accomplishment as pedaling 20 miles on the Katy Trail in a little over an hour and a half. Every weekend I fill my water bottle, charge up my MP3 player and head down the road. The serenity of being on the Katy Trail, immersed in beauty and the exhilarating heart pumping exercise truly stimulates my entire body.

For those who are not familiar with the Katy Trail, the trail is a former rail bed for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Rail Road (M-K-T, or "Katy"). The trail, which is made of crushed limestone, is mostly flat and runs from Clinton, Missouri to St. Charles, Missouri for a total of 225 glorious scenic miles. Trail visitors find many stops along the way with local businesses in many towns including Rocheport and Hermann's numerous wineries B&B lodging, and antique shops.

With the approach of winter and facing the fact that trail or road riding will not be feasible, I have my saddle covered. We are participating in the Salt Fork YMCA group cycling sessions. I started this article out with the explanation of riding hills, miles and miles over the trail, and the joy of every moment of it. All that cornball nonsense thinking stops at this point. The group cycling session nearly killed me. We started with Level I-II and still struggled miserably. After the cycling session, I had the task of simply walking down the stairs at the YMCA. (Wait, I hear laughter) My legs were like giant rubber band balls. They wanted to bounce uncontrollably and nearly refused to support me. What a completely new lease on life this has given me and has changed my perspective on professional cyclists.

Remembering my young cycling days, I had a purple bike with a banana seat. It had tires, little purple handle bar tassels, and brakes that stopped when I pushed my feet down. The only gear was however fast I could pedal. Today, my bike is a hybrid, which means that it is a cross between a mountain bike and road bike. It does not have wide tires characteristic of the mountain bike nor does it have the skinny tires of the much faster road bike. The tires are suitable for either trail riding or road riding. The bike is very lightweight, 21-speeds, and sports an extremely comfortable saddle. Enough about my new ride, I am beginning to sound like an infomercial.

Although this new love of cycling probably has not saved me much in gasoline purchases, it has afforded me a new lifestyle and a new view of the world. It just does not get any better than rolling down a hill and have a bug fly into your mouth.